5 Expert Tips to Make Running Records Easier
Yes, Running Records take a good amount of time, and yes, they also take a good amount of expertise. But they’re worth every minute and every ounce of know-how because of the incredible evidence they uncover. Running Records are one type of observation protocol that help teachers objectively capture moments of student reading behaviors and can support them to document patterns over time. An investment in Running Records is an investment in your students and in your instructional effectiveness.
That being said, there are certainly ways to make Running Records a bit easier, especially when you’re first starting out. Take a look at my 5 expert tips for easier Running Records!
Expert Tip #1: Practice Putting a Tick Mark for Every Word
It may seem like an insignificant thing to draw a check mark above every word the student reads correctly. But there’s an important reason for those marks. Do you know what they’re for? They can help you take a Running Record anytime, anywhere. How? Well, those tick marks act as stand-ins for the words in the text. And that’s important because most of the time our Running Records don’t include the text printed on them. They were originally designed by Marie Clay to be taken on any sheet of paper, including blank ones. This gives us greater flexibility and allows us to take Running Records whenever we need to, but it also means we’ve got to keep track of the words in the text ourselves.
Tick marks help us keep track of where we are in the text both during and after the Running Record. During the Running Record we’re keeping up with the reader so we’re poised and ready to code reading behaviors. Afterwards those tick marks help us see those same behaviors in the context of a sentence and their placement on the page. These marks combined with the actual text help us more accurately analyze the reader’s behavior. This analysis informs our instructional moves and helps us be the responsive teachers our readers need us to be.
Expert Tip #2: Use Your Phone to Audio Record Students Reading
Learning to code Running Records can feel overwhelming at times and can make us question our accuracy. But we can check our accuracy in an objective way by audio recording student readers. Sometimes (who am I kidding, often!) it can be tough to catch everything a reader says and does during a Running Record. By audio recording the event we can replay the recording over and over if needed to help improve our ability to accurately document reading behavior. Replaying the tough-to-code portions of the Running Record can help us improve our coding skills too. When we learn how to code a tricky part we can use that knowledge the next time we encounter a similar reading behavior, and our accuracy and confidence grow with each Running Record we take.
Another benefit to audio recording a Running Record is that you can double check a reader’s fluency. You can listen more than once for pausing, phrasing, expression, and rate, checking each one against a fluency rubric. You can also easily determine the words-per-minute that the student read because your audio recording is time stamped, making the calculation pretty straightforward.
Expert Tip #3: Make a List of Your Students and Group Them Strategically
Making the most of your time is always a top priority. That’s why we need to be organized before we administer Running Records. One of the best ways to maximize your time is to know exactly which students you’ll read with that day. But is making a list of those students enough of a time saver? It is when you group them in a strategic way.
For example, you might create a group of students who likely need a Running Record with texts at the same level. If several students are reading texts at similar levels then you can gather up the materials you’ll need for that group of students and knock out a bunch of Running Records without stopping to collect books or swap out materials.
Or you can group students by their personalities as readers. Say you have a few students who perform markedly better when they read in a quiet space. Why not make some room in your schedule to read with those students before or after school? Or during a prep period when your classroom is empty? Then you can finish Running Records with other students who don’t mind the background noise during literacy centers when guided reading would normally be taking place.
Expert Tip #4: Plan and Practice the Introduction and Questions
Whether you’re using materials from an assessment kit or you’re using texts and blank forms, you’ll need to be prepared with an introduction to the text and with questions to ask after reading. Be sure to write out a one sentence introduction that sets students up for success without revealing too much about the text they’re about to read. Or read the introduction provided ahead of time so that you don’t skew the Running Record results.
Likewise, take control of the comprehension conversation by being prepared. Write questions in advance that check for the reader’s understanding of the content, the deeper meaning, and how the text works. Or read the provided questions carefully and consider how they might need to be rephrased if the student finds them difficult. When you’re ready for the Running Record you’ll be able to focus on listening intently and watching for reading behaviors that will inform your instruction.
Expert Tip #5: Teach a Minilesson to Your Whole Class About Your Expectations
There’s nothing worse than getting results from a Running Record that you’re unsure about. You want to feel confident that you understand more about your reader than when you started the observation process. But interruptions and confusions can get in the way of our confidence in the data. We can mitigate these factors by teaching our students what Running Records look like and sound like for both teachers, student readers, and for the rest of the kids in the room.
Plan a minilesson for your entire class in which you detail the purpose of Running Records, what the teacher does, what the student does, and what the rest of the class should be doing while you administer them. Teach the lesson and show students what you expect them to do and not do while you’re reading with students. For example, teach them to ask peers for help when they see you working with a student, instead of interrupting you unnecessarily. Teach them silent hand signals for asking permission to use the restroom or get a drink, again minimizing disruptions. And reinforce that you want all your students to always try their best when reading with you because when they show you what they know and can do, then you can do a better job teaching them what they need next.
Want more tips like these? Ready to take your Running Records to the next level? Enroll in my Running Record Boot Camp! It’s a self-paced online course that will help you learn to score accurately, analyze deeply, and get the most out of your assessments. Join fellow educators and read answers to the questions they’ve asked about Running Records. You’re in good company!